Sam’s Club Gets Dedicated First Data Business Consultants

Sam's Club and First Data have forged an agreement to boost member access to First Data payment solutions and technologies, under which the vendor will increase its presence in Sam's Club locations nationwide through on-site business consultants.

Dedicated sales teams are now in more than half of those sites, providing hands-on demonstrations of solutions for business owners. First Data will also continue its distribution of these solutions on Sam’s Club's website.

The move to facilitate access to EMV-ready technology comes in advance of Oct. 1, 2015, when credit card counterfeit fraud liability will generally shift to retailers not using chip-enabled point-of-sale devices.

"Sam’s Club and First Data have helped small businesses grow for more than 10 years, and our shared mission to maximize member savings on critical payment solutions continues today," said MiKaela Wardlaw Lemmon, Sam's Club's VP of member services. "As small businesses face a looming October deadline to implement payment systems that accept chip-card technology, they can rely on Sam's Club and First Data to guide them through this vital transition with personalized support, cutting-edge technology and the outstanding value our members deserve."

First Data's small-business solutions feature Clover, a business management system employing cloud-based software to enable businesses to securely accept payments, including mobile and online; manage inventory; track revenues; improve customer loyalty; and generate reports. Additionally, Clover hardware can securely accept chip-card technology and new payment types, including payments via mobile devices.

Sam's Club, a division of Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., operates 649 clubs in the United States and Puerto Rico.